Deploying a Rust MCP Server to Azure ACI

--- title: Deploying a Rust MCP Server to Azure ACI published: true series: Azure-Rust date: 2026-05-15 13:02:34 UTC tags: mcpserver,geminicli,iac,azure canonical_url: https://xbill999.medium.com/deploying-a-rust-mcp-server-to-azure-aci-a2a81ee62455 --- The rmcp crate and standard Rust libraries are used to build a basic MCP Server in Rust. This MCP Server is then built and deployed to Azure ACI and validated locally with Gemini CLI.  #### Yet another MCP Demo? All Hail Ferris- Lord Master of MCP! #### Why not just use Python? Python has traditionally been the main coding language for ML and AI tools. One of the strengths of the MCP protocol is that the actual implementation details are independent of the development language. The reality is that not every project is coded in Python- and MCP allows you to use the latest AI appt roaches with other coding languages. #### What is this Tutorial Trying to Do? Building on previous tutorials, the goal is to extend a Rust MCP server with basic support for deployment to Azure. #### What is Rust? Rust is a high performance, memory safe, compiled language: [Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/) Rust provides memory safe operations beyond C/C++ and also can provide exceptional performance gains as it is compiled directly to native binaries. #### So Why Am I reading this? So what is different about this lab compared to all the others out there? This is one of the first deep dives into deploying a Rust based MCP server hosted on Azure. The Azure ACI service was targeted for compatibility with Docker Images. #### Rust Setup Instructions to install Rust are available here: [Getting started](https://www.rust-lang.org/learn/get-started) For a Linux like environment the command looks like this: ```shell curl — proto ‘=https’ — tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh ``` Rust also depends on a working C compiler and OpenSSL setup. For a Debian 12 system — install the basic tools for development: ```shell sudo apt install build-essential sudo apt install libssl-dev sudo apt install pkg-config sudo apt-get install libudev-dev sudo apt install make sudo apt install git ``` #### Gemini CLI If not pre-installed you can download the Gemini CLI to interact with the source files and provide real-time assistance: ```shell npm install -g @google/gemini-cli ``` #### Testing the Gemini CLI Environment Once you have all the tools and the correct Node.js version in place- you can test the startup of Gemini CLI. You will need to authenticate with a Key or your Google Account: ```plaintext ▝▜▄ Gemini CLI v0.33.1 ▝▜▄ ▗▟▀ Logged in with Google /auth ▝▀ Gemini Code Assist Standard /upgrade no sandbox (see /docs) /model Auto (Gemini 3) | 239.8 MB ``` #### Azure Container Instances [Azure Container Instances](https://www.google.com/search?q=Azure+Container+Instances&sca_esv=9e0af5be28576de2&rlz=1CAIWTJ_enUS1110&sxsrf=ANbL-n7o0MyASoiBM0kA0-E5qMMzLudrbw%3A1775144526115&ei=To7OadXFBoOYptQP9JuB0A8&biw=1396&bih=632&ved=2ahUKEwiIvt3awM-TAxUolYkEHTTxLJIQgK4QegYIAQgAEAM&uact=5&oq=azure+aci&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiCWF6dXJlIGFjaTIKECMYgAQYJxiKBTILEAAYgAQYkQIYigUyBRAAGIAEMgcQABiABBgKMgUQABiABDIFEAAYgAQyBRAAGIAEMgYQABgWGB4yBhAAGBYYHjIGEAAYFhgeSOwPUABY2gxwAHgBkAEAmAGVAaABqQmqAQMwLjm4AQPIAQD4AQGYAgmgAvYJwgIKEAAYgAQYQxiKBcICDhAAGIAEGLEDGIMBGIoFwgIREC4YgAQYsQMY0QMYgwEYxwHCAhAQABiABBixAxhDGIMBGIoFwgILEC4YgAQYxwEYrwHCAg0QABiABBixAxhDGIoFwgIIEAAYgAQYsQPCAgsQABiABBixAxiDAZgDAJIHAzAuOaAHsFWyBwMwLjm4B_YJwgcFMi04LjHIBzuACAA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp) (ACI) is a serverless, managed service that allows you to run Docker containers in the cloud without managing virtual machines. It is ideal for rapid deployment, bursting, and simple, isolated applications, offering per-second billing and quick startup times. ACI supports Linux and Windows containers, with options for volume mounting and GPU resources. More details are available here: [https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/container-instances](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/container-instances)  #### Why would I want Gemini CLI with Azure? Isn’t that a Google Thing? Yes- Gemini CLI leverages the Google Cloud console and Gemini models but it is also open source and platform agnostic. Many applications are already cross-cloud so this enables familiar tools to be run natively on Microsoft Azure. #### Azure CLI The Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI) is a cross-platform tool used to connect to Azure and execute administrative commands on your cloud resources. [[1](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/what-is-azure-cli?view=azure-cli-latest), [2](https://www.codemag.com/Article/2001021/Azure-CLI)] It allows you to manage services like virtual machines, storage accounts, and networks through a terminal using either interactive prompts or automated scripts. More information is here: [What is the Azure CLI?](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/what-is-azure-cli?view=azure-cli-latest) #### Setup the Basic Environment At this point you should have a working Rust environment and a working Gemini CLI installation. All of the relevant code examples and documentation is available in GitHub. The next step is to clone the GitHub repository to your local environment: ```shell cd ~ git clone https://github.com/xbill9/gemini-cli-azure ``` Then run **init.sh** from the cloned directory. The script will attempt to determine your shell environment and set the correct variables: ```shell source init.sh ``` If your session times out or you need to re-authenticate- you can run the **set\_env.sh** script to reset your environment variables: ```shell source set_env.sh ``` Variables like PROJECT\_ID need to be setup for use in the various build scripts- so the **set\_env** script can be used to reset the environment if you time-out. Refresh the Azure credentials: ```console xbill@penguin:~/gemini-cli-azure/mcp-aci-rust-azure$ az login ``` Finally install the packages and dependencies: ```shell cd ~/gemini-cli-azure/mcp-aci-rust-azure ``` #### Build The Rust MCP Server Some background information on building and configuring a Rust MCP server is here: [Building a Secure HTTP Transport MCP Server with Rust, and Gemini CLI](https://xbill999.medium.com/building-a-secure-http-transport-mcp-server-with-rust-and-gemini-cli-b4e807e7aa1d) The mcp-aci-rust-azure subdirectory has the complete Rust MCP server in one subdirectory. #### Minimal System Information Tool Build The first step is to build the basic tool directly with Rust. This allows the tool to be debugged and tested locally before adding the MCP layer. First build the tool locally: ```console xbill@penguin:~/gemini-cli-azure/mcp-aci-rust-azure$ make Building the Rust project... Compiling mcp-aci-rust-azure v1.0.0 (/home/xbill/gemini-cli-azure/mcp-aci-rust-azure) Finished `dev` profile [unoptimized + debuginfo] target(s) in 8.58s xbill@penguin:~/gemini-cli-azure/mcp-aci-rust-azure$ ``` then lint check the code: ```console xbill@penguin:~/gemini-cli-azure/mcp-aci-rust-azure$ make lint Linting code... Checking mcp-aci-rust-azure v1.0.0 (/home/xbill/gemini-cli-azure/mcp-aci-rust-azure) Finished `dev` profile [unoptimized + debuginfo] target(s) in 1.89s xbill@penguin:~/gemini-cli-azure/mcp-aci-rust-azure$ ``` and run local tests: ```console xbill@penguin:~/gemini-cli-azure/mcp-aci-rust-azure$ make test Running tests... Finished `test` profile [unoptimized + debuginfo] target(s) in 0.12s Running unittests src/main.rs (target/debug/deps/mcp_aci_rust_azure-093b4404046a4149) running 1 test test tests::test_greeting ... ok test result: ok. 1 passed; 0 failed; 0 ignored; 0 measured; 0 filtered out; finished in 0.00s xbill@penguin:~/gemini-cli-azure/mcp-aci-rust-azure$ ``` The last step is to build the production version: ```console xbill@penguin:~/gemini-cli-azure/mcp-aci-rust-azure$ make release Building Release... Finished `release` profile [optimized] target(s) in 0.36s xbill@penguin:~/gemini-cli-azure/mcp-aci-rust-azure$ ``` The MCP server can be started locally: ```shell make start ``` The MCP tool can then be tested locally: ```plaintext 🟢 local-rust - Ready (1 tool) Tools: - mcp_local-rust_greeting > mcp_local-rust_greeting hello local Executing Greeting Tool: Executing the greeting tool on the local Rust MCP server. ╭────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮ │ ✓ greeting (local-rust MCP Server) {"message":"hello local"} │ │ │ │ Hello World MCP! hello local │ ╰────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯ Greeting Completed: Greeting successful. Standing by for next instruction. ✦ Hello World MCP! hello local ``` #### Deploy To ACI A basic Dockerfile is used to build an image for deployment: ```console xbill@penguin:~/gemini-cli-azure/mcp-aci-rust-azure$ make deploy Building the Docker image... [+] Building 2.2s (14/14) FINISHED docker:default => [internal] load build definition from Dockerfile 0.0s => => transferring dockerfile: 763B 0.0s 0.0s ``` Get the deployment status: ```console xbill@penguin:~/gemini-cli-azure/mcp-aci-rust-azure$ make status mcp-aci-rust-azure PID file exists but process is not running. Checking Azure Container Instance status for mcp-container-penguin... Name State FQDN IP --------------------- ------- ----------------------------------------------- ------------- mcp-container-penguin Running mcp-container-penguin.westus2.azurecontainer.io 4.149.223.153 xbill@penguin:~/gemini-cli-azure/mcp-aci-rust-azure$ ``` Get the Endpoint: ```console xbill@penguin:~/gemini-cli-azure/mcp-aci-rust-azure$ make endpoint mcp-container-penguin.westus2.azurecontainer.io ``` Check Gemini MCP settings: ```json { "mcpServers": { "mcp-aci-rust-azure": { "httpUrl": "http://mcp-container-penguin.westus2.azurecontainer.io:8080/mcp" }, "local-rust": { "httpUrl": "http://127.0.0.1:8080/mcp" } } } ``` The service will be visible on the Azure console:  #### Final Test Start up Gemini CLI and check the MCP server status: ```plaintext 🟢 mcp-aci-rust-azure - Ready (2 tools) Tools: - mcp_mcp-aci-rust-azure_greeting > mcp_mcp-aci-rust-azure_greeting hello aci! ╭────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮ │ ✓ greeting (mcp-aci-rust-azure MCP Server) {"message":"hello aci!"} │ │ │ │ Hello World MCP! hello aci! │ ╰────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯ ✦ Hello World MCP! hello aci! ``` #### Summary A complete HTTP transport MCP server was built using Rust. This application was tested locally with Gemini CLI. Then, the entire solution was deployed to Azure ACI. The remote MCP server was validated with Gemini CLI locally.